AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC
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INTRODUCTION:
American Roots Music is the U.S. melting pot of several cultural groups that originated in Europe and Africa. It has touched the lives of diverse cultural backgrounds that include, but is not limited to, African Americans, Caucasians, Native Americans, Mexicans, etc. Roots Music is a magical and all encompassing concept that includes a variety of genres that include folk music, bluegrass, hillbilly, country music, blues, gospel, zydeco, and tejano.
It is a form of communication, or voice of the people, and it has been used by generations to reveal personal histories, personal experiences, and personal struggles while attempting to totally disregard and overcome social status and boundaries.
The purpose of our paper is to explore the relationship of American Roots Music to its historical effects. The first approach will be the history of Mountain Music and its "American Roots" heritage and the second approach will be a discussion on how "American Roots Music" was directly impacted by the contributions of the African and black cultures.
Section I:
American Roots Music History of Mountain Music and its Heritage
In the 18th and 19th centuries, mountain music was born to immigrants from the British Isles who settled in the Southern parts of North America. They converged ballads, folk and oral traditions of storytelling through song and added instrumentals with the fiddle taking the place of voice as the melody...